I made an appointment and went to see my doctor today. He told me that tonsil stones and occasional tonsilitis wasn't enough to require a tonsilectomy. Then he looked at my tonsils. He said they were very bad and that he wouldn't be surprised if I needed surgery soon. He said it wasn't a fun surgery for a 26 year old (I'm almost 28 - does that mean that since it's no fun for a 26 year old, it might actually be considered fun for me? Or maybe it's less fun for a 28 year old? At what point does it get downright nasty?). He was also concerned by the fast onset of my symptoms as I've had crypts and tonsiliths for a couple years, but only in the past month have my tonsils been raging mad and making me sick constantly.
So, I have a prescription for antibiotics. I also have a prescription for a belly button rashy thing I've had for a couple years that I believe a dermatologist misdiagnosed. I have such weird maladies. Justin tells me that all the time. No major injuries or ailments. Just weird, rare, random maladies.
I have gone to this doctor for...well, for over 28 years. He delivered me. I love this doctor. I am worried about what I'll do when he retires. He's smart as a whip, friendly and personal, and there's just an air of integrity in his office. Not the presumptuous yuppy specialist air. Like some doctor's offices have slate floors and 20 foot high ceilings, marble counter tops, plasma TVs, fire places, etc. This doctor's office hasn't been redecorated since the late 60s or early 70s and I find comfort in it. The colors are outdated, but nothing is worn. Integrity. Nothing is flashy. I like seeing the rows of paper files behind the reception area. I love that the exam tables are made out of dark wood paneling and olive green upholstery yet look pristine. If it ain't broke...
And he's a family doctor. Like I said, he delivered me. He saw me through all my baby stuff, childhood stuff, teenage stuff, adult stuff, female stuff...you get it. I heard a baby cry in the office today and I asked if he sees babies. Of course. He's a family doctor. He sees the entire family. I might switch and start bringing Joci here. I feel so comfortable with this office. I feel the quality behind the reliable - though untrendy - furnishings. I came from the days of a family doctor. Why now do we insist on a specialist for even basic stuff? Why do I go to an ob-gyn and a pediatrician? Maybe I'll ditch the kitchy pediatrician's office with the fancy wall murals and overdone play room and take Joci to our family doctor. He's seriously the sharpest doctor I've ever met - and he's about a third of the price. It saves on my copay and it saves the company I work for which has self-funded insurance.
I forget that I should shop around for medical care. While we are still a capitalist society in this respect, I do have that luxury. When I was undergoing fertility stuff, I went to the nicest place in town. It was FAN-CY. And expensive. I didn't realize that until I had personality issues with my doctor and switched to a different doctor that reminded me of my family doctor. Older. Kind. Patient. Not too busy. Quality furnishings but an older office that could never be mistaken as posh or trendy. And I liked him so much more personally. And his charge was about a third less. And that made a huge difference to us because insurance doesn't pay for our fertility treatments.
So I'm thinking about switching Joci over.
What do you do with doctors? Do you go to a specialist for everything? Do you ever get irritated by fancy, nicely decorated offices and think that you're paying for all those unnecessary extras? Do you feel comforted by a place that's more updated and posh? Would you be turned off by the dark paneled, olive green exam table? Do you do cost-comparison shopping with your healthcare?
